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Four Decades of Excellence and Elegance
Lavern Cummings,
The
Sophisticate of Song
Part II
Subscribers can catch up with Part One | Lavern Cummings Pictorial
KS: Now we are to the year 1956. What were the major factors that made you decide to transition from the Jewel Box Revue to Finocchio's in San Francisco?
LC: Well of course the prestige of the Finocchio Club, the allure of San Francisco, plus I was getting a little weary of the constant touring. I stayed with the Jewel Box for about six years. The call came when we were working in upstate New York again, this time Niagara Falls, and I had this opportunity to open at Finocchio's.
KS: They say "performing is the name of the game," but did being in a new city and a new club make it difficult for you at first?
LC: I opened at Finocchio's along with Kara Montez in October of 1956. I was a little nervous since it was "new" and a different set-up from the Jewel Box... but things worked out ok.
KS: The Finocchio Club was and still is located at 506 Broadway. Was the whole scene on Broadway really that "electrifying" back in the 50's and 60's? You always hear things like," ...oh Broadway is not as good as it used to be, we need to revitalize Broadway."
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LC: After opening at Finocchio's and getting settled, business seemed to start picking up in the late 50's on Broadway. Later on we had the Gray Line Tours bringing people to Finocchio's and "Broadway" a couple of times a night.
KS: The 1960's was a turbulent time with some evolution on the political and cultural scene of America. By the late 60's San Francisco was getting more than its share of the "national spotlight." On reflection, did this cause an increase in tourists visiting the club and was there a change in the audiences during this period?
LC: Yes, in the 60's business picked up a lot. We used to get many celebrities up from Hollywood. We would get people from all over the world, the audiences became more "international." The audiences often had people from Japan and Germany. One night the dancers from the Russian Ballet came to see the show, just as so many of the entertainers did when they were in San Francisco for a performing engagement.
KS: There were a lot of changes on the "music scene" during the 1960's. Was it a challenge for you and the club to be "contemporary" during those changing times?
LC: At the time, Finocchio's presented an "old-fashioned" show. We were doing show tunes... Broadway show tunes and some popular things of the day... no Rock & Roll, we were limited there because we only had a trio to work with.
KS: At Finocchio's you also worked with a "live" band. Were they a cohesive unit, or were there constant personnel changes that created a "challenging situation" for you as a vocalist?
LC: That was the let down for me at Finocchio's. We only had piano, drums, and saxophone. It was a challenge for me as a vocalist because I had all of these big arrangements, so I had to have everything revamped to fit the trio, and all of that worked out eventually.
KS: At Finocchio's, how much control did they exert over the content of the show, and did they give you a free hand when it came to your material?
LC: Finocchio's had control of the production numbers more or less. The MC at the time when I first opened was Lestre LaMonte. He also choreographed the show finale's in which we would all have to appear. For the most part I had a free hand in selecting my own material, which was limited to two songs per show.
KS: Was there ever any time to mingle with the audiences between shows?
LC: When I first opened we were allowed to mingle. We would come out for a soft drink between shows, and people would come up and congratulate us on the show.
Later on we were not allowed to mingle at all! That started in the late 50's or early 60's.
KS: What make-up did you like for the stage?
LC: I did not wear too heavy of a make-up at this time since I was still in my 20's. I did wear false eyelashes, liner, lipstick and a nice Max Factor pancake, because the lighting was not so great at Finocchio's.
KS: Were the gowns you had designed for you or did you buy them "off the rack?"
LC: I had come to Finocchio's with some wardrobe that had already been designed for me by Tony Midnite. When I first started, I didn't know anyone who could make things for me, so I did buy a couple gowns off the rack at I. Magnin's. Later on I did find a designer, Mr. Talven, who created some marvelous things. The creations were very classy, and they helped to make an elegant "Lavern."
KS: Earlier you touched on the fact that you wore your own hair. When did you decide to wear wigs, and how did you get them to look so natural?
LC: I had a great stylist, Mr Franklin, who did some fabulous styles for me with my own hair, and then with the wigs after I cut my shoulder length hair in 1962. When I switched to wigs, I would use my own hair-line on the front and the sides to blend in the hair. A lot of people never knew the difference... it looked very natural.
KS: Did you have any special female stars from the stage/screen or music that influenced your presentation?
LC: Yes, I was influenced by screen stars and a few impersonators that I had seen previous to my going into drag. The screen stars were mainly from 1940's musicals: Deanna Durbin, Betty Grable, Alice Faye. Other influences were Marlene Dietrich, Doris Day, Rita Hayworth, who came to see us at Finocchio's in 1957, and Arlene Dahl.
KS: Finocchio's was pretty good about keeping the shows fresh because during the 60's & 70's there was a whole lot of "repeat business." Can you walk us through the process of what had to be done when you would add a new song?
LC: We could change our songs as often as we'd like. I wanted to build my repertoire, so I would change them quite often, as I was able to get the song arrangements to fit the trio. My repertoire got to the point where I could go an entire month without repeating a song.
KS: In 1979 you were in a Television Movie called "The Golden Gate Murders." How did that come about for you?
LC: They were looking for a female impersonator. A talent scout/agent from Universal Studios was in the audience one night. After the show he made me an offer to test for this part, to see if I would like to do it.
KS: Was your scene filmed on location at Finocchio's, and how long did it take to film your segment?
LC: No, my scene was filmed at Universal Studios and on location at a club called the Queen Mary in Hollywood. The filming didn't take that long at all.
KS: Have you been in any other films?
LC: I tested for several films back in the 60's including "Myra Breckinridge" and "Gunn." I've also done television shows and interview programs where on occasion I would perform. Actually, after I left Finocchio's, I did some work as an "extra" in various film productions around the Bay Area. I was in "The Right Stuff," and "Monster In The Closet,"
KS: Now we are to the year 1982. You decide to retire from show biz. Without getting too personal, can you tell us why?
LC: I was doing a television show in late November, 1982 for KGO-TV, and my throat had started to tighten up. Right after that I had an asthma attack which affected my voice. I worked at Finocchio's until the early part of December (1982) and I was still having the problem with my voice, so I had to... leave. Finocchio's wanted me to come back. I was going to doctors at the time... I never did go back.
KS: Was it hard to give up performing?
LC: Yes, it was hard giving up performing because I missed singing. I took off for a year, didn't do anything, then in 1984 I went to work in retail.
KS: Has Finocchio's or any other club ever tried to lure you out of retirement?
LC: Yes, Finocchio's wanted me to return, of course they kept on trying... but the singing voice was just not there anymore.
KS: Now that you are enjoying retirement, are you doing any special projects? LC: I am enjoying my retirement, after working in retail at The Emporium from 1984 - 1996. In 1996, The Emporium was closed down, so I decided to move to Las Vegas! Right now I am in the process of writing my memoirs Its coming along. At present I am doing a lot of research on some things I had forgotten about.
KS: Can you give us an idea of when your book will be available?
LC: I have no idea right now when the book will be available. Hopefully during this next year, that's what I'm working toward.
KS: As you look back on your fabulous career, at what point in time were you at your "absolute best" as a performer?
LC: I did enjoy working at the Jewel Box, but I was more polished when I got to Finocchio's. Probably my "best time" there was in the late 60's into the 70's.
Truly a "performers' performer," Lavern Cummings attained a prestige that only a handful of other entertainers have ever achieved. Through constant hard work and dedication that the audience's never even realized, Lavern set a performance standard in the Art of Female Illusion that levitates near the stratosphere.
© 1999 Ken Spaulding
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